Shillong, Nov 7: Urban Affairs minister, Ronnie V. Lyngdoh said that faulty agreement since the beginning was the main reason for the damage of many Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) buses and maxi taxis.
The Shillong Public Transport Service (SPTS) buses popularly known as “Red Buses” were given by the state government by the Centre under the erstwhile JNNURM scheme for the benefit of the general public in Shillong city. However the state government had given to private operators who are operating these vehicles in a haphazard manner.
“The damage of theses buses and maxi taxis has happened like this due to faulty agreement,” Lyngdoh told reporters.
These buses and maxi taxis were handed over to private operators when Lyngdoh was not the Urban Affairs Minister.
Earlier Lyngdoh was one of the MLAs who strongly opposed the move of the Urban Affairs department to hand over these vehicles to private operators.
Lyngdoh insisted that the MTC should be allowed to operate these vehicles for the benefit of the public and the government.
“There was a time when the MTC had also operated these vehicles and the government was getting some profit. How can these vehicles being operated commercially by private operators be allowed to use the registration number (ML01) of the government? These private operators are operating these vehicles commercially for profit,” the minister stated.
Lyngdoh agreed that bus fare was cheap when it was operated by the MTC but now the fare is similar to the fare being charged by local taxis and other City buses being operated by private owners in the City and outskirts.
Lyngdoh said that after a new principal secretary has taken charge of Urban Affairs department, review meeting would be held soon to discuss this important issue.
“We have to look at the agreement entered between the government and these private operators before taking any action,” the Minister said.
Many SPTS buses including maxi taxis have been damaged and they are being dumped in many places including Mawlai Mawkynroh-Umshing, Mawpat, Mawblei, and other places.